Universal adjustment drive with bowden cable

ABSTRACT

Electric motor furniture drive for adjusting parts of a piece of furniture relative to one another has a drive unit which has at least one electric motor and is in drive connection with at least one tensioning unit. Furniture drive has a base body which is preferably configured as a housing and is accommodated in or on the tensioning unit. At least two Bowden cables are operatively associated with each tensioning unit, traction cables of Bowden cables being in operative connection with associated tensioning unit. Traction cables are guided or guidable to tensioning unit(s) through at least one recess in the housing. The sheathings of the Bowden cables are fixed or fixable to the base body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/255,721,filed Apr. 17, 2014, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 9,980,575, issued May29, 2018, which claims the priority of German patent application no. 102013 006 640.9, filed Apr. 18, 2013, and this application claims thepriority of German patent application no. 20 2013 007 106.0, filed Aug.9, 2013, and each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a universal adjustment drive with a Bowdencable. More particularly, the invention relates to an electric motorfurniture drive for adjusting parts of a piece of furniture relative toone another. Even more particularly, the invention relates to auniversal adjustment drive with Bowden cable, particularly suited for anelectric motor furniture drive.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For adjustment of slatted frames, for example, so-called dual drives areknown which have a housing, designed as a separate component which isconnectable to the slatted frame, in which two adjustment units areaccommodated, one of which is used, for example, for adjusting a backsupport part, and the other of which is used for adjusting a leg supportpart, of the slatted frame. In the known dual drives the adjustmentunits are designed as a spindle drive, the drive coupling to a supportpart to be adjusted being established via a coupling lever which isconnected in a rotationally fixed manner to a swivel shaft with whichthe support part to be adjusted is associated. For adjusting the supportpart, the spindle nut of the spindle drive presses against the couplinglever, so that the swivel shaft and thus the support part swivels. Dualdrives of this type are known from EP 0372032 A1 and DE 3842078 A1, forexample.

A furniture drive designed as a dual drive is known from DE 10017989 C2and DE 10017979 C2, in which each adjustment unit has an electricmotor-driven wind-up device for a cable-, band-, or chain-shapedtensioning means which is connected in the manner of a pulley block to aswivel lever which is connected to a swivel shaft in a rotationallyfixed manner, the swivel shaft in turn being in operative connectionwith a support part to be adjusted.

Furniture drives which operate according to a similar operatingprinciple are also known from DE 3409223 C2, DE 19843259 C1, and EP1020171 A1.

Dual drives which operate according to various operating principles arealso known from DE 197292812 A1, DE 29811566 U1, and DE 29714746 U1.

An adjustable slatted frame is known from DE 3900384, in which theadjustment of a head or leg support part of the slatted frame takesplace by means of a pneumatic cylinder.

A gas spring adjustment fitting for slatted frames is known from DE29602947 U1, in which a cable pull is provided for activating the gasspring.

A slatted frame is known from DE 3103922 A1, in which the adjustment ofan upper body support part, for example, takes place via a windshieldwiper motor and a scissor lift.

A dual drive is known from EP 1294255 B1, in which the transmission offorce from a linearly movable drive element to a swivel lever, which isin operative connection with a swivel shaft which is in operativeconnection with a support part to be adjusted, takes place via a pulleyblock. Similar furniture drives are also known from FR 2727296, DE3409223 C2, DE 19843259 C1, GB 2334435, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,948.

Furthermore, slatted frames are known in which the adjustment apparatusfor adjusting a support part is partially or completely integrated intoa base body of the slatted frame. In this sense, DE 19962541 C2(corresponding to EP 1239755 B1, JP 2001-546280, and U.S. Pat. No.6,754,922) discloses and describes a motor-adjustable support apparatushaving a first support part which has mutually parallel longitudinalbeams, and which in the support apparatus known from the citedpublication is formed by a stationary center support part. The knownsupport apparatus also has additional support parts which are adjustablerelative to the first support part via drive means. In the supportapparatus known from the cited publication, a first longitudinal beam ofthe first support part is designed for accommodating the drive means asa hollow profile, whereby the entire drive, including a drive motor, isaccommodated in the hollow longitudinal beam. For this reason, the drivemotor does not protrude beyond the first longitudinal beam in thevertical direction thereof, so that the support apparatus known from thecited publication has an extremely small overall height. A similarsupport apparatus is also known from DE 10046751 (corresponding to EP1239754 B1, JP 2001-547994, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,971).

A motor-adjustable support apparatus for a mattress of a bed is knownfrom WO 96/29970, having multiple support parts which are arranged insuccession in the longitudinal direction of the support apparatus, andwhich are pivotable relative to a first support part via drive means.The support parts are supported on an outer frame whose profile heightis significantly greater than the profile height of the support parts.In the support apparatus known from the cited publication, parts of theouter frame are designed as a hollow profile, and parts of the drivemeans for adjusting the support parts relative to one another areaccommodated in the hollow profile. The drive motor is situated at aninner side of a part of the outer frame.

A motor-adjustable support apparatus for a mattress of a bed is knownfrom DE 69507158 T2 (corresponding to EP 0788325 B1), having a firstsupport part which has a longitudinal beam, and having at least onesecond support part which is pivotable relative to the first supportpart via drive means. In the known support apparatus, the drive motor issituated outside the base area of the support apparatus and is affixedto a frame-like extension of the first support part.

A slatted frame is known from EP 1633219 B1, in which parts of theadjustment apparatus are accommodated in a hollow longitudinal beam,while the drive motor is situated outside the longitudinal beam, andthrough a recess is in drive connection with the parts of the adjustmentapparatus which are accommodated in the longitudinal beam.

A furniture drive which is provided for adjusting a drawer relative to abody of a cabinet is known from WO 2008/113401, in which the adjustmentof the drawer takes place via a flexible toothed rack which is engagedwith a gearwheel.

A slatted frame having an integrated adjustment apparatus is known fromDE 10 2008 028586 A1, in which the transmission of force from drivemotors of the adjustment apparatus to the support parts to be adjustedtakes place via traction cables that are guided over deflections.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide an electric motor furnituredrive for adjusting parts of a piece of furniture relative to oneanother, having a simple and compact design.

Another object of the invention is to provide electric motor furnituredrive for adjusting parts of a piece of furniture relative to oneanother. An object of the invention is to provide a universal adjustmentdrive with Bowden cable, particularly suited for an electric motorfurniture drive.

These objects are achieved by the invention set forth herein.

The basic concept of the invention lies in the transmission of forcefrom an electric motor drive unit which is used, for example, foradjusting support parts of a slatted frame relative to one another, tothe support part to be adjusted via a Bowden cable having a tractioncable and sheathing. The invention thus departs from the previousconcepts of the transmission of force known for slatted frames, forexample, and for furniture drives provides the principle of a Bowdencable, which is known from technical areas such as braking and gearshifting of bicycles, accelerator cables and clutch cables inmotorcycles, and in automotive engineering.

This results in significant technical advantages.

One particular advantage of the invention is that considerable freedomwith regard to the arrangement of a drive motor relative to a supportpart to be adjusted or some other component results due to the fact thatthe drive motor may be situated at practically any desired location onthe piece of furniture when a Bowden cable of appropriate length isused.

Another advantage of the invention is that, due to the considerablefreedom with regard to the positioning of the drive motor or the drivemotors, adjustment apparatuses having a particularly flat design may beimplemented.

For example and in particular, all drive motors that are necessary foradjusting a slatted frame are accommodated in a flat housing which maybe affixed at any suitable location on a slatted frame, for example, orsimply placed on the base beneath the slatted frame.

The freedom with regard to the arrangement of drive motors is furtherincreased due to the fact that to a significant degree Bowden cables mayalso be laid in a curved manner without impairing their function oftransmitting force.

Another advantage of the invention is that Bowden cables are availableas relatively simple, inexpensive, and robust standard components.

It has surprisingly been shown that Bowden cables, for example incombination with wind-up devices or spindle drives, are very well suitedfor applying the forces that are necessary, for example, for adjustingsupport parts of a slatted frame under the load of a person resting onthe slatted frame.

The use of a Bowden cable in a furniture drive is already known from DE29811566 U1, but only in conjunction with disengagement of the furnituredrive, and thus in conjunction with use in which much smaller forcesoccur than with the adjustment of support parts of a slatted frame.

Another advantage of the invention is that slatted frames of differentwidths may be implemented while using the same Bowden cables. Whereasfor a wider slatted frame the Bowden cable may be guided more directlyfrom the associated tensioning element to the support part to beadjusted, for a narrower slatted frame it may be guided in a curve tothe support part to be adjusted. In both cases, however, the same Bowdencable may be used. The manufacture of slatted frames having differentwidths is thus particularly simple and cost-effective due to the use ofidentical parts.

The number of electric motors, tensioning units, tensioning elements,and Bowden cables is selectable within a wide range, depending on theparticular requirements.

According to the invention, a drive unit is provided which has at leastone electric motor and which is in drive connection with at least onetensioning unit. At least two Bowden cables are associated with the, oreach, tensioning unit, the traction cables of the Bowden cables eachbeing in operative connection (tensile connection) with the associatedtensioning unit. Thus, due to the association with the same tensioningunit, the Bowden cables associated with the tensioning unit are actuatedat the same time. For the adjustment of slatted frames, in order toavoid twisting of a support part it may be necessary to simultaneouslyintroduce an adjustment force into the two longitudinal beams of thesupport part situated at a lateral distance from one another. For thispurpose, according to the invention the Bowden cables which areassociated with a tensioning unit may be used, one of the Bowden cablesbeing associated with one longitudinal beam, and the other Bowden cablebeing associated with the other longitudinal beam. Since the Bowdencables are actuated at the same time, the adjustment force issynchronously introduced into both longitudinal beams, thus achievingsynchronization and therefore reliably avoiding twisting of the supportpart. Other synchronization measures, whether via electrical means or byusing torsion shafts, are therefore no longer necessary.

According to the invention, the tensioning unit or the tensioning unitsis/are preferably accommodated in a housing which may be designed as aflat, compact assembly. The housing preferably has at least one recessthrough which the traction cables of the Bowden cables are guided orguidable to the tensioning unit or the tensioning units. The sheathingsof the Bowden cables are fixed or fixable to the housing.

For example, the electric motor furniture drive according to theinvention may have an electric motor which is in drive connection withtwo tensioning units. A dual drive is thus achieved, whereby onetensioning unit may, for example, be used for adjusting a leg supportpart, and the other tensioning unit may be used for adjusting an upperbody support part, of a slatted frame. In the simplest case, bothtensioning units are actuated by the electric motor at the same time, sothat the back support part and the upper body support part of theslatted frame are accordingly adjusted simultaneously. According to theinvention, in such a configuration it is also possible to provide a timedelay with regard to the adjustment of the back support part and of theleg support part, for example in that one of the tensioning units has acertain “dead stroke” during which adjustment of the associated supportpart does not yet take place.

In order to adjust at least two support parts or other furniturecomponents completely independently of one another, the drive unit mayhave at least two electric motors, one of which is associated with onetensioning unit, and the other of which is associated with anothertensioning unit.

If particularly large adjustment forces are to be applied, according tothe invention it is also possible to provide two or more electric motorswhich are associated with the same tensioning unit and which are indrive connection with same. The adjustment force which may be applied isthus increased compared to the use of a single electric motor that isassociated with a tensioning unit.

If it is desirable or necessary according to the particularrequirements, according to the invention a furniture drive may also havemore than two electric motors, whereby one electric motor may beassociated with each tensioning unit, or at least two electric motorsmay be associated with at least one tensioning unit, in theabove-described manner

In the simplest case, the furniture drive according to the invention hasan electric motor which is in force-transmitting connection with asingle tensioning unit. In this way a single drive is achieved, whosetwo Bowden cables which are associated with the tensioning unit may beused to introduce an adjustment force into the component to be adjustedat two different points of applied force, depending on the particularrequirements.

The furniture drive according to the invention is suitable for adjustingany given furniture components in the furniture sector. For example, thefurniture drive according to the invention is suitable for adjusting anygiven seating or lying furniture, for example slatted frames orarmchairs. For example, the furniture drive according to the inventionis also suitable for adjusting hospital beds or health care beds andtables. If, for example, the height of a table is to be adjusted via twosimultaneously actuatable lifting columns, a furniture drive accordingto the invention may be used, whereby two tensioning elements of thefurniture drive according to the invention are synchronously controlledby the same electric motor, and one tensioning element is associatedwith each lifting column of the table.

The invention thus provides for the first time a universal electricmotor furniture drive which, with the same design, is suitable foradjusting a large variety of furniture or furniture components.

The tensioning unit or the tensioning units of the furniture driveaccording to the invention, also referred to below as the “drive” forshort, may have any suitable design. Its function, namely, for pullingon a traction cable of the Bowden cable for adjusting a component, maybe designed according to any given suitable kinematics. In this sense,according to the invention a tensioning unit is understood to mean anarrangement that is suitable for pulling on the traction cable of aBowden cable. For example, the tensioning element may be designed as awind-up device or the like.

One advantageous further embodiment of the invention provides that eachtensioning unit has at least two tensioning elements, with each of whicha traction cable of a Bowden cable is associated.

To design the tensioning element in a particularly simple manner, oneadvantageous further embodiment of the invention provides that at leastone tensioning element is supported in or on the housing so as to belinearly movable.

A guide for a tensioning element may be designed as a separate componentwhich is connectable to the housing of the drive. To further simplifythe design of the drive according to the invention, one advantageousfurther embodiment of the invention provides that at least one guide forat least one tensioning element is integrated into the housing, inparticular molded in one piece into the housing. In a particularlyadvantageous manner the housing may be formed, for example, as aninjection-molded part into which the guide or guides is/are molded.

Accordingly, another advantageous further embodiment of the inventionprovides that the housing is at least partially made of plastic.

In the embodiment having the linearly movable tensioning element, theguide is advantageously a linear guide as provided in another furtherembodiment of the invention.

One advantageous further embodiment of the above-mentioned embodimentprovides that the two linear guides associated with tensioning elementsextend in parallel or approximately in parallel to one another.

To improve the stability of the housing in the area of the guide, i.e.,in an area in which high reaction forces may occur during operation ofthe furniture drive, another advantageous further embodiment of theinvention provides that the housing has a double-wall design, at leastin sections, in the area of the guide.

Another advantageous further embodiment of the invention provides thatthe housing is composed at least of two half-shells. In this embodimentthe housing has a particularly simple design. The furniture driveaccording to the invention may be installed, for example, in such a waythat the integral parts of the furniture drive are inserted or placed inone half-shell, and may be accommodated and optionally fixed between thehalf-shells in a positive-fit manner by placing the other half-shell ontop.

The sheathing of a Bowden cable may be fixed to the housing of the drivein any desired manner. In this regard, a positive-fit connection betweenthe sheathing of the Bowden cable and the housing is advantageous, sothat a nondisplaceable connection between the sheathing of the Bowdencable and the housing is ensured, even when large adjustment forces areapplied. For this purpose, one advantageous further embodiment of theinvention provides that at least one Bowden cable has a flange which isnondisplaceably connected to the sheathing of the Bowden cable. Thisflange may be fixed to the housing of the furniture drive in apositive-fit manner, so that a nondisplaceable connection between thesheathing of the Bowden cable and the housing is achieved in the desiredmanner.

In principle, according to the invention it is sufficient for the driveunit to have a single electric motor which controls each tensioningelement or acts on same with an adjustment force in the above-describedmanner. To obtain greater flexibility with regard to the adjustmentfunction to be achieved, one advantageous further embodiment of theinvention provides that the drive unit has at least two electric motors.

In this regard, another advantageous further embodiment of the inventionprovides that at least two electric motors are controllableindependently of one another. Due to the independently controllableelectric motors, according to the invention it is possible, for example,to adjust two tensioning elements, and thus two furniture components,independently of one another.

Another advantageous further embodiment of the invention provides thatat least one electric motor is associated with each tensioning elementand is in drive connection with same.

With regard to the spatial arrangement of more than two electric motorsin the housing, one extremely advantageous further embodiment providesthat the electric motors are situated with respect to one another insuch a way that their drive shafts face one another. This results in aparticularly compact and space-saving design.

The electric motor or the electric motors may be or become connected tothe housing in any suitable manner. In this regard, one advantageousfurther embodiment of the invention provides that the housing is shapedin such a way that at least one electric motor is insertable into thehousing, and in the inserted position is held by the housing in apositive-fit manner. Thus, additional securing of the electric motor tothe housing is not necessary, which saves on time and thereforeinstallation costs. For example and in particular, half-shells of thehousing may be shaped in such a way that in the installed state theyhold the electric motor between them in a positive-fit manner. In otherwords, in this embodiment the electric motor may be installed byinserting it into one half-shell and subsequently fixing a housing in apositive-fit manner by placing the other half-shell on top.

Another advantageous further embodiment of the invention provides thatthe drive unit has at least one gear whose integral parts are situatedon a gear holding part, in particular mounted on same. The gear holdingpart may be angled, for example, i.e., designed as a so-called gearangle, and may hold the integral parts of the gear. If, for example, thedrive unit has two electric motors, the gear holding part may bedesigned in such a way that it holds the two gears, each of which isassociated with an electric motor.

To further simplify the installation of the drive according to theinvention, one advantageous further embodiment of this embodimentprovides that at least one electric motor is secured to the gear holdingpart, and together with the gear holding part forms a motor/gearassembly. In particular, the housing of the electric motor may bescrewed to the gear holding part.

A particularly advantageous further embodiment of the above-mentionedembodiment provides that the housing is shaped in such a way that themotor/gear assembly is insertable into the housing, and in the insertedposition is held by the housing in a positive-fit manner. Theinstallation of the drive according to the invention is furthersimplified in this way. For example, the motor/gear assembly may beinserted into one half-shell of the housing and fixed by means of theother half-shell. The half-shells may then be joined together, forexample by screwing. This results in particularly simple installation.

Limit switching in end positions of a tensioning element, and thus inend positions of an adjustment movement brought about by this tensioningelement, may take place in any suitable manner, for example by detectingthe motor current, which sharply increases when an end position isreached. In this regard, one advantageous further embodiment of theinvention provides that at least one end position switch is associatedwith a tensioning element. Appropriate end position switches, alsoreferred to as limit switches, are available as robust and inexpensivestandard components.

Each end position switch may be connected to the housing in any suitablemanner, for example by gluing it into the housing. In this regard, oneadvantageous further embodiment of the invention provides that thehousing has at least one holding apparatus for holding the end positionswitch. For example, the holding apparatus may have pins which aremolded into the housing, on which the position switch having recesses,which are formed in its housing, is placed.

To change the end position and to be able to select it according to theparticular requirements, one advantageous further embodiment of theabove-mentioned embodiment provides that the housing has a plurality ofholding apparatuses which correspond to various switching positions ofthe end position switch.

The, or each, tensioning element of the drive according to the inventionmay have any suitable design. In this regard, one advantageous furtherembodiment of the invention provides that the, or each, tensioningelement is a spindle nut of a spindle drive, the spindle nut beingsituated on a threaded spindle, which is in rotary drive connection withthe drive unit, so as to be rotationally fixed and movable in the axialdirection. Appropriate spindle drives are available as simple,inexpensive standard components, and are robust and suitable forapplying large adjustment forces.

In a kinematic reversal of the above-mentioned embodiment, at least onetensioning element may also have a threaded spindle which is guided in arotationally fixed manner and situated on the one stationary spindlenut, which is in rotary drive connection with an electric motor.

One extremely advantageous further embodiment of the invention providesthat at least one tensioning element is designed as a wind-up device forwinding the traction cable of a Bowden cable. In this embodiment, atensile force is exerted on the traction cable of the Bowden cable, thuswinding the traction cable. This results in a more compact andspace-saving design. Another advantage of this embodiment is thatappropriate wind-up devices are available as simple, inexpensive, androbust components and are suitable for applying large forces.

One advantageous further embodiment of the above-mentioned embodimentprovides that at least one tensioning unit has two wind-up devices, oneof which is associated with one of the Bowden cables that is associatedwith the tensioning unit, and the other of which is associated with theother of the Bowden cables that is associated with the tensioning unit.In this embodiment, the two (or at least two) traction cables associatedwith a tensioning unit are wound up via the wind-up devices in order toapply an adjustment force.

Depending on the particular requirements, a tensioning unit may alsohave more than two wind-up devices, so that more than two tractioncables of Bowden cables may also be wound up, corresponding to thenumber of wind-up devices being provided.

One advantageous further embodiment of the embodiment having at leasttwo wind-up devices provides that the wind-up devices which areassociated with a tensioning unit are rotationally synchronized. Thisensures that Bowden cables associated with the one tensioning unit arepulled by the two traction cables. If necessary according to theparticular requirements, according to the invention it is also possibleto associate only one Bowden cable with a tensioning unit.

An electric motor-adjustable support apparatus according to theinvention for supporting padding of seating or lying furniture, inparticular a mattress of a bed, is set forth herein. The supportapparatus has at least two support parts which are adjustable relativeto one another, at least one support part to be adjusted having a firstlongitudinal beam and a second longitudinal beam, the first and thesecond longitudinal beams being situated at a distance from one anothertransversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the supportapparatus. According to the invention, the support apparatus has atleast one furniture drive according to the invention, a first of theBowden cables associated with a tensioning unit being inforce-transmitting connection with the first longitudinal beam, and thesecond of the Bowden cables associated with a tensioning unit being inforce-transmitting connection with the second longitudinal beam. Thisensures that a uniform adjustment force is introduced into bothlongitudinal beams of the support part during the adjustment of thesupport part, thus reliably avoiding twisting of the support part duringits adjustment.

Use of a furniture drive according to the invention for adjusting afirst component, in particular a furniture component, relative to asecond component, in particular a furniture component (which may be afurther furniture component), is provided as set forth herein, in whichthe traction cables of the Bowden cables associated with a tensioningunit being fixed to the locations on the first component which arespatially situated at a distance from one another in order to adjust thefirst component.

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to theappended schematic drawings. All features described, illustrated in thedrawings, and claimed in the patent claims, alone or in any givensuitable combination, constitute the subject matter of the presentinvention, regardless of their recapitulation in the patent claims ortheir back-reference, and regardless of their description orillustration in the drawings.

Relative terms such as up, down, left and right are for convenience onlyand are not intended to be limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show the following:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a slatted frame, providedwith a first embodiment of a furniture drive according to the invention,in a maximum adjusted position;

FIG. 2 shows, in the same illustration as FIG. 1, the slatted frameaccording to FIG. 1 in an unadjusted position;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a housing of the furniture driveaccording to FIG. 1, in enlarged scale compared to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a detail in the area of a housing of the furniture driveaccording to FIG. 1, in greatly enlarged scale compared to FIG. 1, thehousing being illustrated in the open state for purposes ofillustration;

FIG. 5 shows, in an illustration similar to FIG. 4, a detail in the areaof a pivot axis between two support parts of the slatted frame accordingto FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows, in the same illustration as FIG. 1, a slatted frame whichis provided with a second embodiment of a furniture drive according tothe invention, in its maximum adjusted position;

FIG. 7 shows, in the same illustration as FIG. 6, the slatted frameaccording to FIG. 6 in an unadjusted position;

FIG. 8 shows the second embodiment of the furniture drive according tothe invention in a perspective view, in enlarged scale compared to FIG.6;

FIG. 9 shows the furniture drive according to FIG. 8, in an illustrationwith the housing open, corresponding to FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a further perspective view of the second embodiment of thefurniture drive according to the invention, in an illustrationcorresponding to FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows the furniture drive according to FIG. 9 in an illustrationcorresponding to FIG. 9, with a gear holding part omitted;

FIG. 12 shows the furniture drive according to FIG. 11 in anillustration corresponding to FIG. 11, also with an electric motoromitted;

FIG. 13 shows a third embodiment of a furniture drive according to theinvention in an illustration corresponding to FIG. 8, in a perspectiveview with the housing closed;

FIG. 14 shows the furniture drive according to FIG. 13 with the housingopen;

FIG. 15 shows a fourth embodiment of a furniture drive according to theinvention, in a perspective view with the housing closed;

FIG. 16 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 15, with covers on thehousing omitted for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 17 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 15 in a perspective view,with the housing omitted for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 18 shows a fifth embodiment of a furniture drive according to theinvention in the same illustration as FIG. 15, with the housing closed;

FIG. 19A shows in a perspective view integral parts of the drive unitand the tensioning unit of the embodiment according to FIG. 18, with thehousing omitted purposes of illustration;

FIG. 19B shows in a perspective view integral parts of the drive unitand the tensioning unit of the embodiment according to FIG. 18, with thehousing omitted purposes of illustration; and

FIG. 19C shows in a perspective view integral parts of the drive unitand the tensioning unit of the embodiment according to FIG. 18, with thehousing omitted purposes of illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Identical or corresponding components are provided with the samereference numerals in the figures of the drawing.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a slatted frame 2 in a perspectiveview, wherein the battens of the slatted frame, i.e., resilient slatssuch as sprung wooden slats, and associated mounting parts have beenomitted in order to simplify the illustration.

The slatted frame 2 is adjustable by an electric motor, and duringoperation is used to support a mattress, not illustrated in the drawing.The slatted frame 2 has a base body 4 having support parts which arearranged in succession in the longitudinal direction of the slattedframe 2 and connected to one another so as to be pivotable about ahorizontal pivot axis. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment thebase body 4 has a stationary center support part 6, to which a legsupport part 8 is connected in an articulated manner so as to bepivotable about a horizontal pivot axis, and the end of the leg supportpart facing away from the center support part 6 is connected to a calfsupport part 10 in an articulated manner so as to be pivotable about ahorizontal pivot axis. The end of the center support part 6 facing awayfrom the leg support part 8 is connected to an upper body support part12 in an articulated manner so as to be pivotable about a horizontalpivot axis, and the end of the upper body support part facing away fromthe center support part 6 is connected to a head support part 14 in anarticulated manner so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis.

Each of the support parts 6 through 14 of the slatted frame 2 has twolongitudinal beams situated at a lateral distance from one another,i.e., transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of theslatted frame 2, as denoted by way of example by reference numerals 8′and 8″ for the leg support part 8, and by reference numerals 12′, 12″for the upper body support part 12. The longitudinal beams of theslatted frame 2 formed by the longitudinal beams of the individualsupport parts 6 through 14 are connected to one another at their ends bycrossbeams 16, 18.

The longitudinal beams of the center support part 6 are connected to anouter frame 20 of the slatted frame 2, which during use of the slattedframe 2 is insertable into a bed frame, for example.

For the electric motor adjustment of the support parts 4 through 14relative to one another, a universal electric motor furniture drive 21according to a first embodiment of the invention is provided, which hasa base body, designed i.e. configured as a housing 22, in which integralparts of the furniture drive are accommodated as described in greaterdetail below.

FIG. 1 shows the slatted frame 2 in a maximum adjusted position whichcorresponds to a sitting position.

FIG. 2 shows the slatted frame 2 in an unadjusted position whichcorresponds to a lying position, and in which the support parts 6through 14 together span a continuous, essentially horizontal, supportplane.

The invention is explained below with reference to an adjustment of thepivotably adjustable upper body support part (second support part)relative to the center support part 6 (first support part). Theadjustment of the leg support part 8 relative to the center support part6 is carried out in a corresponding manner, and therefore is notdiscussed here in greater detail.

During a pivot adjustment of the upper body support part 12 relative tothe center support part 6, the head support part 14 is adjusted relativeto the upper body support part 12 at the same time, the head supportpart 14 being connected to the upper body support part 12 via acorresponding pivot joint. The same applies for an adjustment of thecalf support part 10 during an adjustment of the leg support part 8.

In the illustrated embodiment, an electric motor furniture drive 21according to the invention, which in the present embodiment is designedas a dual drive, is provided for the adjustment, and has a drive unit 23(see FIG. 3) which in the illustrated embodiment has two drive trains.One drive train is associated with the upper body support part 12 foradjusting same relative to the center support part 6, while the otherdrive train is associated i.e. operatively associated with the legsupport part 8 for adjusting same relative to the center support part 6.In the illustrated embodiment, the drive unit 23 has two electric motorsas drive motors (explained in greater detail below), each beingassociated with a drive train.

According to the invention, at least one Bowden cable having a tractioncable which is accommodated in sheathing is provided for transmittingforce from the furniture drive 21 to the second support part (upper bodysupport part 12).

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, two Bowden cables 24, 26are associated with the second support part (upper body support part12), the Bowden cable 24 being in operative connection with onelongitudinal beam 12″, and the other Bowden cable 26 being in operativeconnection with the other longitudinal beam 12′, of the upper bodysupport part 12. Only the cooperation of the Bowden cable 24 with thelongitudinal beam 12″ is described below. The cooperation of the Bowdencable 26 with the other longitudinal beam 12′ is correspondinglysimilar, and therefore is not explained in greater detail below. Thesame applies for the cooperation of further Bowden cables 28, 30 withthe longitudinal beams 8″ and 8′, respectively, of the leg support part8.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the housing 22, which for purposes ofillustration is shown partially open. The Bowden cable 24, which is notillustrated in FIG. 3, has a traction cable, accommodated in flexiblesheathing in a generally known manner, which may be subjected totension, and which is subjected to tension when the upper body supportpart 12 is adjusted relative to the center support part 6. For pullingon the traction cable, a linearly movable tensioning element isassociated with the Bowden cable 24, and in the illustrated embodimentis formed by a spindle nut 32 of a spindle drive 34 whose threadedspindle 36 is in rotary drive connection with an electric motor 38. Forthis purpose, a drive shaft 40 of the electric motor 38 is designed as ascrew which is engaged with a worm wheel 42 that is connected to thethreaded spindle 36 in a rotationally fixed manner. Accordingly, thespindle nut 32 is movable in the axial direction of the threaded spindlealong a double arrow 44, corresponding to the rotational direction ofthe drive shaft 40 of the electric motor 38. FIG. 3 shows the spindlenut 32 in a position which corresponds to a maximum adjusted position ofthe upper body support part 12 relative to the center support part 6(see FIG. 1).

The connection of the Bowden cable 24 to the spindle nut 32 is explainedin greater detail below with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows theconnection of the Bowden cable 28 to a further spindle nut 32′ which isin drive connection with a further electric motor 38′. The Bowden cable24 is correspondingly connected to the spindle nut 32.

The Bowden cable 28 has sheathing 46 which is fixed to the housing 22,and has a traction cable 48 which is fixed to the spindle nut 32′ andthus connected to same in a tension-resistant manner.

FIG. 5 shows a detail in the area of the connection of the upper bodysupport part 12 to the center support part 6. The upper body supportpart 12 is connected to the center support part 6 about a horizontalpivot axis 50. As illustrated in FIG. 5, sheathing 52 of the Bowdencable 24 is fixed to the center support part 6, while the traction cable54 of the Bowden cable 24 is fixed to the upper body support part 12,eccentrically with respect to the pivot axis 50.

In the unadjusted position of the slatted frame (see FIG. 2), thespindle nut 32 is situated at the left end of the threaded spindle 36 inFIG. 3. For adjusting the upper body support part 12 relative to thecenter support part 6, the electric motor 38 turns the threaded spindlein a rotational direction which corresponds to a movement of the spindlenut 32 to the right in FIG. 3. This causes the spindle nut 32 to pull onthe traction cable 54 of the Bowden cable 24, so that the upper bodysupport part 12 is swiveled relative to the center support part 6 untila user of the slatted frame 2 interrupts the adjustment movement, oruntil the electric motor is switched off by an end position switch (notillustrated) in a maximum adjustment position (FIG. 1). A controlapparatus for controlling the drive means of the slatted frame 2, aswell as a power supply apparatus have been omitted in FIG. 1 in order tosimplify the illustration.

The adjustment force applied by the electric motor 38 is introduced intothe longitudinal beam 12′ of the upper body support part 12 at the sametime via the Bowden cable 26. In order to synchronize the introductionof the adjustment force into the longitudinal beams 12′, 12″ of theupper body support part 12, both of the traction cables of the Bowdencables 24, 26 are advantageously fixed to the spindle nut 32.

The slatted frame 2 is reset from the adjusted position (see FIG. 1)into the unadjusted position (see FIG. 2) or an intermediate positionwith the drive switched on, but under the influence of the weight of theparticular support part or support parts, optionally also under theweight of a person resting on the slatted frame 2.

As a result, in the illustrated embodiment the invention provides aslatted frame which has considerable freedom with regard to thearrangement of the furniture drive relative to the support parts to beadjusted.

As is apparent from FIG. 1, in the illustrated embodiment the housing 22has only a low overall height, so that a particularly flat slatted framedrive is achieved.

Due to the use of Bowden cables, according to the invention inparticular slatted frames of different widths may be implemented, usingessentially matching components.

In a modification of the embodiment according to FIG. 1, at least onelongitudinal beam of at least one of the support parts 4 through 14 mayalso have a hollow design for accommodating parts of the electric motordrive means. In this regard, in particular an electric motor of thedrive means may be situated outside the hollow longitudinal beam, while,for example, parts of a gear system are accommodated inside the hollowlongitudinal beam, as known per se from EP 1 633 219 B1, the contents ofwhich are hereby fully incorporated by reference into the present patentapplication. According to the invention, it is also possible for atleast one electric motor of the electric motor drive means to beaccommodated inside a hollow longitudinal beam, as known per se from DE199 62 541 C2, the contents of which are likewise fully incorporatedinto the present patent application.

FIG. 6 illustrates a slatted frame 2 which is adjustable by means of asecond embodiment of a furniture drive 21 according to the invention.The basic principle of the adjustment is the same as described for thefirst embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5.

The second embodiment of the furniture drive 21 according to theinvention illustrated in FIG. 6 differs from the embodiment according toFIG. 1 primarily with regard to its design, which is explained ingreater detail below with reference to FIGS. 8 through 12. In addition,the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that thehousing 22 of the furniture drive 21 is fastened to a mounting frame 56,explained in greater detail below. With regard to the slatted frame 2,another difference between the further embodiments according to FIG. 1and FIG. 6 is that the slatted frame 2 according to FIG. 1 has an upperbody part 12 and a separate head support part 14, while the slattedframe, illustrated in FIG. 6, for supporting the upper body and the headof a person resting on the slatted frame 2 has an integrated upper bodysupport part 12 which at the same time fulfills the function of a headsupport part.

A further difference of the embodiment according to FIG. 6 from theembodiment according to FIG. 1 is that in each case a stand-up leverarrangement is used for adjusting the support parts 12 and 8, 10relative to the center support part 6, as indicated by reference numeral57 in FIG. 6 and explained in greater detail below.

FIG. 6 shows the slatted frame 2 in its maximum adjusted position, whichcorresponds to a sitting position.

FIG. 7 shows the slatted frame 2 in its unadjusted position, whichcorresponds to a lying position.

FIG. 8 shows the furniture drive 21 with the housing 22 illustrated inthe closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing iscomposed of half-shells 58, 60 which may be screwed together forinstalling the furniture drive 21 in the illustrated embodiment. Thehalf-shells 58, 60 are configured in such a way, as explained in greaterdetail below, that components of the furniture drive 21 are insertableinto one of the half-shells and held in a positive-fit manner by placingthe other half-shell on top.

FIGS. 9 through 12 show the furniture drive 21 according to the secondembodiment with the housing open 22, i.e., in a state in which the tophalf-shell 58 is removed and components of the furniture drive 21 areinserted into the bottom half-shell 60. FIGS. 9 and 10 show thefurniture drive 21 from different perspectives. In FIGS. 11 and 12,components of the furniture drive 21, described in greater detail below,have been omitted for purposes of explanation.

It is apparent from FIG. 9 that in this embodiment the drive unit 23 ofthe furniture drive 21 has two drive trains 62, 62′ which are associatedwith an electric motor 38, 38′, respectively, the electric motors 38,38′ being independently controllable. Only the drive train 62, which isused for adjusting the upper body support part 12 relative to the centersupport part 6 by means of the Bowden cables 28, 30, is explained ingreater detail below. The drive train 62′, which is used for adjustingthe leg support part 8 relative to the center support part 6 by means ofthe Bowden cables 24, 26, has a corresponding design and therefore isnot explained in greater detail. If necessary for purposes ofexplanation, the drive train 62′ is provided with the reference numeralswhich correspond to those of the drive train 62. The Bowden cables 28,30 and the Bowden cables 24, 26 have been omitted in FIGS. 9 through 12for purposes of illustration.

In the second embodiment, once again two tensioning elements in the formof spindle nuts 32, 32′ are provided, at least two Bowden cables beingassociated with each tensioning element, namely, the Bowden cables 28,30 being associated with the spindle nut 32, and the Bowden cables 24,26 being associated with the spindle nut 32′. As mentioned above, theBowden cables 24 through 30 have been omitted in FIGS. 9 through 12 forpurposes of illustration.

The traction cables of the Bowden cables in each case are fixed orfixable to the spindle nuts 32, 32′.

The housing 22 forms a shared housing in which the drive unit 23 and thetensioning elements, namely, the spindle nuts 32, 32′, are accommodated.The traction cables of the Bowden cables 28, 30 are guided to thespindle nut 32 through recesses 64, 66, the sheathing of the Bowdencables 28, 30 in each case being fixed or fixable to the housing 22.

In the illustrated embodiment, the half-shells 58, 60 of the housing 22are formed by injection-molded parts made of plastic.

The spindle nut 32 is movable in the axial direction of the threadedspindle 36, corresponding to the rotational direction of the drive shaftof the electric motor 38, and is guided in the housing 22 in arotationally fixed manner by means of a linear guide 68.

As is apparent from FIG. 9, in the illustrated embodiment the linearguides 68, 68′ associated with the spindle nuts 32, 32′, respectively,extend in parallel to one another.

To independently actuate the drive trains 62, 62′, and thus to be ableto independently adjust the upper body support part 12 and the legsupport part 8 relative to the center support part 6, the electricmotors 38, 38′ are independently controllable.

Power supply and control means of the electric motors 38, 38′ are notillustrated in the drawing for the sake of simplicity. In particular,the control means may be accommodated inside the housing 22.

FIG. 10 shows the furniture drive 21 from another perspective.

For switching off the electric motor 38 in end positions of theadjustment movement, i.e., the maximum adjusted position of the slattedframe 2 illustrated in FIG. 6 and the unadjusted position of the slattedframe 2 illustrated in FIG. 7, in the illustrated embodiment two endposition switches 70, 72 are associated with the spindle nut 32. Thehousing has a plurality of pins as a holding apparatus for the endposition switch 70, 72, only one pin being provided with referencenumeral 74 in FIG. 10 for the sake of clarity. The pins 74 are molded inone piece into the housing 22, namely, the bottom half-shell 60 in theillustrated embodiment, and situated at a distance from one anotherparallel to the spindle axis of the threaded spindle 36 in the areabetween the linear guides 68, 68′. The pins 74 in pairs form a holdingapparatus in each case for the end position switch 70, for example, andengage with recesses formed in the housing of the end position switch70. For mounting in the housing 22, the end position switch 74 is thusplaced on two of the pins corresponding to the desired position of theend position switch and thus, the desired maximum adjustment position.The end position switches 70, 72 may thus be attached at variouspositions in the direction parallel to the spindle axis of the threadedspindle 36, so that the various end positions of the adjustment movementmay thus be selected and fixed during installation of the furnituredrive 21.

Each of the drive trains 62, 62′ has a gear, as explained in greaterdetail below with reference to FIG. 11, which is situated between thedrive shaft of the associated electric motor 38 or 38′ and theassociated threaded spindle 36, 36′. The integral parts of the gear aresituated on a gear holding part 76, which in the present embodiment isformed by an injection-molded part made of plastic. In the illustratedembodiment, the electric motors 38, 38′ are fastened to the gear holdingpart 76 via a screw connection, thus forming a motor/gear assembly.

FIG. 11 shows the furniture drive 21, with the gear holding part 76omitted for purposes of explanation.

It is apparent from FIG. 11 that a gear 78 is associated with theelectric motor 38. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive shaft 80 ofthe electric motor 38 is designed as a screw of a worm gear which isengaged with a worm wheel 82 that is connected to a gearwheel 84 in arotationally fixed manner. From the perspective in FIG. 11, it is notdiscernible, and therefore not explained in greater detail, that thegear 78 has a further screw which likewise is engaged with the driveshaft 80 and connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a furthergearwheel which is engaged with the gearwheel 84. The further worm wheeltogether with the further gearwheel is connected to the threaded spindle36 in a rotationally fixed manner, so that during rotation of the driveshaft 80 of the electric motor 38, the threaded spindle 36 rotatescorresponding to its rotational direction, and thus moves the spindlenut 32 back and forth in the axial direction of the threaded spindle 36,corresponding to the rotational direction thereof.

FIG. 12 shows a view similar to that in FIG. 11, with the electric motor38′ omitted for purposes of illustration. It is apparent from FIG. 12 inparticular that in the area of the bottom half-shell 60 the housing isdesigned in such a way that the electric motors 38, 38′, i.e., themotor/gear assembly formed by the gear holding part 36 with electricmotors 38, 38′ attached thereto, is/are insertable into the bottomhalf-shell 60, and held by the housing 22 in a positive-fit manner inthe inserted position. The top half-shell has a corresponding design.For fixing the electric motors 38, 38′ in a positive-fit manner, in theillustrated embodiment the housing 22, i.e., the half-shells 58, 60,has/have a shape that is complementary to the electric motors 38, 38′ insections, as is apparent from FIG. 12.

It is also apparent from FIG. 12 that a ball bearing 86, which may beheld by webs molded into the housing 22, is provided for supporting thethreaded spindle 36.

It is apparent from an overview of FIGS. 9 through 12 that holdingapparatuses for the integral parts of the furniture drive 21 are moldedin one piece into the housing 22 or its half-shells 58, 60. This appliesin particular for the linear guides 68, 68′ and holding apparatuses forthe electric motors 38, 38′ or the motor/gear assembly, formed by thegear holding part 76 with electric motors 38, 38′ attached thereto,which are molded in one piece into the housing 22. The same applies forthe holding apparatuses, formed by the pins 74, for the end positionswitches 70, 72.

It is apparent from an overview of FIGS. 9 through 12 and in particularfrom FIG. 11 that in the illustrated embodiment the electric motors 38,38′ are situated in the housing 22 in such a way that their drive shafts80, 80′ face one another, and in the illustrated embodiment are alignedwith one another. The gears 78, 78′ associated with the electric motors38, 38′, respectively, and thus also the gear holding part 76, aresituated between the electric motors 38, 38′. At the same time, thespindle axes of the threaded spindles 36, 36′, and thus also the linearguides for the spindle nuts 32, 32′, extend perpendicularly with respectto the drive shafts 80, 80′ of the electric motors 38, 38′,respectively. This results in a particularly compact and space-savingdesign.

The furniture drive 21 according to the invention is thus installed in aparticularly simple manner by inserting the motor/gear assembly and thecomponents of the drive trains 62, 62′ into the bottom half-shell 60 ofthe housing 22. The end position switches 70, 72 may then be mounted inthe desired position, and the Bowden cables may be suspended on thespindle nuts 32, 32′ and thus fastened. The top half-shell 58 may thenbe placed on top, and the two half-shells 58, 60 joined together.

Another advantage of this embodiment is that it is particularly easy toservice due to its modular construction.

Depending on the particular requirements, the housing 22 may have adouble- or multi-wall design in sections, in particular in the area ofthe linear guides 68, 68′, as illustrated in FIG. 12 by three walls 88,88′, 88″ of the outer wall of the housing 22.

To be able to manually carry out emergency lowering in the event of apower failure, for example, the electric motors 38, 38′ are decoupleablefrom the threaded spindles 36, 36′, respectively. For this purpose, theworm wheels of the gears 78, 78′ are supported on a bracket 90 which bymeans of a finger grip 94 is movable against the action of a coil spring92 in the direction of an arrow 96, from the engaged positionillustrated in FIG. 12 into an emergency lowering position. In theengaged position illustrated in FIG. 12, the coil spring 92 presses thebracket 90 against a stop, the worm wheels of the gears 78, 78′ beingengaged with the drive shaft 80, 80′ of the electric motor 38, 38′,respectively, thus establishing a rotary drive connection between thedrive shaft 80 and the threaded spindle 36, or the drive shaft 80′ andthe threaded spindle 36. For emergency lowering, the bracket 90 is movedin the direction of the arrow 96 by means of the finger grip 94, so thatthe screws of the gears 78, 78′ are disengaged from the drive shafts 80,80′ of the electric motors 38, 38′, respectively, thus eliminating therotationally fixed connection to the threaded spindles 36, 36′. In thisemergency lowering position, adjusted support parts of the piece offurniture may be adjusted by hand by means of the furniture drive 21.

FIG. 13 illustrates a third embodiment of a furniture drive 21 accordingto the invention, which differs from the embodiment according to FIGS. 6through 12 primarily by the design of the housing 22.

In the third embodiment, the housing is composed of a bottom part 98, atop part 100, and an end cap 102.

FIG. 14 shows the housing 22 with the top part 100 and the end cap 102removed, with various components of the drive trains 62, 62′ omitted forpurposes of illustration. For installing the furniture drive 21, in thepresent embodiment the spindle nuts 32, 32′ are moved into a predefinedmounting position, as illustrated in FIG. 14 for the spindle nut 32. Theend cap 102 together with premounted Bowden cables, as illustrated inFIG. 13 for the Bowden cables 28, 30, is subsequently placed on thebottom part, the Bowden cables 28, 30 engaging with the spindle nut 32.Installation of the furniture drive 21 is further simplified in thisway.

FIG. 15 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a furniture drive accordingto the invention, having a base body designed as a housing 22, and inwhich the drive unit has a single electric motor 38. The Bowden cableshave been omitted in FIG. 15 in order to simplify the illustration.

FIG. 16 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 15, in which parts of thehousing 22 have been omitted for purposes of illustration.

The fourth embodiment differs from the embodiments explained aboveprimarily in that at least one tensioning element is designed as awind-up device for winding the traction cable of a Bowden cable. FIG. 16illustrates a tensioning unit 100, which as a tensioning element has twowind-up devices 102, 104 which are designed as winding drums. If thefurniture drive is used, for example, for actuating the Bowden cables24, 26 (see FIG. 1), for example the traction cable of the Bowden cable24 is fixed to the winding drum 102, and the traction cable of theBowden cable 26 is fixed to the winding drum 104. The sheathings of theBowden cables 24, 26 are fixed to the housing 22 (see FIG. 15).

Only the winding drum 102 is described below. The winding drum 104 has acorresponding design, and therefore is not explained here in greaterdetail.

The winding drum 102 is supported in the housing 22 so as to berotatable about a rotary axis, and has a winding core onto which thetraction cable of the associated Bowden cable is wound during turning ofthe winding drum 102. The traction cable of the Bowden cable is guidedthrough recesses 106 and 108 (see FIG. 15), from the housing 22 to acomponent to be adjusted. In order to actuate the Bowden cables 24, 26(see FIG. 1), for example, in a precisely synchronous manner, thewinding drums 102 are rotationally synchronized in the illustratedembodiment.

FIG. 17 shows the underlying drive mechanism. The drive shaft of theelectric motor 38 is designed as a first screw 110 which is engaged witha first worm wheel 112. A second screw 114 is connected to the firstworm wheel 112 in a rotationally fixed manner, and is engaged with asecond worm wheel 116 which is connected to the winding drum 102 in arotationally fixed manner. In addition, a spur gear 118 is connected tothe winding drum 102 and the second worm wheel 116 in a rotationallyfixed manner. The drive connection between the electric motor 38 and thewinding drum 104 has a corresponding design, a further second worm wheel116 being connected to the winding drum 104 in a rotationally fixedmanner. Furthermore, a spur gear 118′ is connected to the winding drum104 in a rotationally fixed manner, and is engaged with the spur gear118, thus rotationally synchronizing the winding drums 102, 104.

During use of the furniture drive 2, the electric motor 38 via its driveshaft drives the screw 114, which rotationally drives the winding drums102, 104 via the second worm wheels 116, 116′, respectively, so that thetraction cables of the associated Bowden cables, for example the Bowdencables 24, 26 (see FIG. 1), are wound or unwound, corresponding to therotational direction of the drive shaft 110.

It is apparent from an overview of FIGS. 15 through 17 that theembodiment according to these figures has a simple and particularlycompact design.

FIG. 18 shows a fifth embodiment of a furniture drive 2 according to theinvention.

FIGS. 19A through 19C show the embodiment according to FIG. 18, with thehousing 22 omitted for purposes of illustration. The embodimentaccording to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 differs from the embodiment accordingto FIG. 15 primarily in the manner in which a rotary movement of thedrive shaft of the electric motor 38 is converted into a rotary movementof the winding drums 102, 104.

It is apparent from FIG. 19A that the winding drums 102, 104 in theillustrated embodiment are connected to one another in a rotationallyfixed manner. The drive shaft 110 of the electric motor 38 is designedas a screw that is engaged with a worm wheel 112, to which a first spurgear 120 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner.

The first spur gear 120 is engaged with a second spur gear 122 (see FIG.19B in particular) which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner toa third spur gear 124, which in turn is engaged with a fourth spur gear126 which is connected to the winding drums 102, 104 in a rotationallyfixed manner. During rotation of the drive shaft 110 of the electricmotor 38, the winding drums 102, 104 are thus rotationally driven, sothat they actuate the traction cables of their associated Bowden cables,for example the Bowden cables 24, 26, corresponding to the rotationaldirection of the drive shaft 110.

The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 15 through 19 are suitable, forexample, for adjusting the upper body support part 12 of the supportapparatus according to FIG. 1. According to the invention, it is alsopossible to design the winding drums 102, 104 in such a way that at thesame time they each wind up a further traction cable, for example thetraction cable of one of the Bowden cables 28, 30 (see FIG. 1), in orderto adjust the leg support part 8 simultaneously with the upper bodysupport part 12.

If an independent adjustment of the upper body support part 12 and ofthe leg support part 8 is desired, an additional furniture drive may beprovided which is used for adjusting the leg support part 8.

The invention has been explained with reference to embodiments regardingthe adjustment of a slatted frame. However, the furniture driveaccording to the invention is also suitable and usable for adjusting anyother given components for which the adjustment may be made by exertinga tensile force. For example, the furniture drive according to theinvention is also suitable in industrial applications, or for adjustingdoors or windows.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, itis understood that it is capable of further modifications, and usesand/or adaptations of the invention and following in general theprinciple of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in theart to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to thecentral features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. Electric motor furniture drive for adjustingparts of a piece of furniture relative to one another, comprising: a) adrive unit having at least one electric motor, and which drive unit isin drive connection with at least one tensioning unit; b) at least twoBowden cables being operatively associated with each tensioning unit ofthe at least one tensioning unit, each of the at least two Bowden cableshaving a sheathing and a traction cable, and the traction cable of oneof the at least two Bowden cables being in operative connection with theassociated tensioning unit of the at least two tensioning units; c) ahousing being accommodated in or on the at least one tensioning unit; d)the traction cables being guided to the at least one tensioning unitthrough at least one recess in or on the housing; and e) the sheathingof a respective one of the at least two Bowden cables being fixed to thehousing.
 2. Furniture drive according to claim 1, wherein: a) each oneof the at least one tensioning unit has at least two tensioningelements, each of which is associated with a traction cable of one ofthe at least two Bowden cables.
 3. Furniture drive according to claim 2,wherein: a) at least one tensioning element is linearly movable in or onthe housing.
 4. Furniture drive according to claim 3, wherein: a) atleast one guide for at least one tensioning element is integrated intothe housing, in particular molded in one piece into the housing. 5.Furniture drive according to claim 4, wherein: a) the guide is a linearguide.
 6. Furniture drive according to claim 1, wherein: a) the at leastone electric motor includes two electric motors which are independentlycontrollable.
 7. Furniture drive according to claim 1, wherein: a) theat least one electric motor is associated with each tensioning unit andis in drive connection with the same.
 8. Furniture drive according toclaim 1, wherein: a) the housing is shaped in such a way that the atleast one electric motor is insertable into the housing, and in theinserted position the at least one electric motor is held by the housingin a positive-fit manner.
 9. Furniture drive according to claim 1,wherein: a) the drive unit has at least one gear whose integral partsare mounted on a gear holding part; b) the at least one electric motoris secured to the gear holding part, and together with the gear holdingpart forms a motor/gear assembly; and c) the housing is shaped in such away that the motor/gear assembly is insertable into the housing, and inthe inserted position is held by the housing in a positive-fit manner.10. Furniture drive according to claim 2, wherein: a) at least one endposition switch is operatively associated with the at least onetensioning element.
 11. Furniture drive according to claim 2, wherein:a) the at least one tensioning element has a wind-up device for windingthe traction cable of one of the at least two Bowden cables. 12.Furniture drive according to claim 11, wherein: a) the at least onetensioning unit has two wind-up devices, one of which is operativelyassociated with one of the at least two Bowden cables that isoperatively associated with the tensioning unit, and the other of whichis operatively associated with the other of the Bowden cables that isoperatively associated with the tensioning unit.
 13. Furniture driveaccording to claim 12, wherein: a) the wind-up devices which areoperatively associated with a tensioning unit are rotationallysynchronized.
 14. Electric motor-adjustable support apparatus forsupporting padding of seating and/or lying furniture and/or a mattressof a bed, comprising: a) at least two support parts which are adjustablerelative to one another; b) at least one support part to be adjustedhaving a first longitudinal beam and a second longitudinal beam, thelongitudinal beams being situated at a distance from one anothertransversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the supportapparatus; c) the support apparatus having at least one electric motorfurniture drive according to claim 1; and d) a first of the at least twoBowden cables operatively associated with a tensioning unit is inforce-transmitting connection with the first longitudinal beam, and thesecond of the Bowden cables associated with a tensioning unit is inforce-transmitting connection with the second longitudinal beam foradjusting the first support part relative to the second support part.15. Use of an electric motor furniture drive according to claim 1, foradjusting a first component, relative to a second component, thetraction cables of the at least two Bowden cables operatively associatedwith a tensioning unit being fixed to locations on the first componentwhich are spatially situated at a distance from one another in order toadjust the first component relative to the second component.
 16. Use ofan electric motor furniture drive according to claim 15, wherein: a) thefirst component is a furniture component, and the second component is afurther furniture component.